THE TRUCE ENDS IN:

Age: 21jnAccount:PenguinqwertRetired On: May 18, 2015Preferred Pet Build: The most fun build I ever played was a 115/125/125 League 8. Not sure I'd do it again, but it was fun. :)

Hey everyone, I go by Penguin or Steve. I've played Neopets since 2003, and was drawn to Neo because of the Battledome. Over the years I have placed in a number of both 1-Player and 2-Player events.

My ability to earn Neopoints came gradually, meaning that I have fought my battles from many different areas of wealth. My biggest challenge as a rater has been catching up with the entry level meta game. Back in my day, we had plain 6 icon weapons, and no Scarab Ring. It's been fun analyzing all of the new equipment available; new battlers have it easy these days. :P

I am the former leader of the Celestial Beginnings Battledome guild. I joined CB on its opening day in 2005 and became its leader in 2007, and over the years met a lot of great people that helped add to my enjoyment of Neopets. Unfortunately the guild folded in 2010, and after an unsuccessful attempt at reviving it in 2011 I disappeared for awhile.

I could not stay away for long, however. I came back to this site in summer 2012 and liked the direction it seemed to be heading in. After catching up on what was new, it was not long before Jellyneo announced the need for raters on its Battlepedia. Without hesitation I applied for the job. These days my goal is to give back to the Battledome community through weapon reviews and helpful advice. If you have a question and can't find an answer, feel free to Neomail me, I'd love to help. :)

My Rating Style

My rating style is out of the norm. I essentially have a flow chart style for rating weapons, but I will do my best to explain it in text here. However, my actual reviews of weapons are far more meaningful than the numerical rating I assign to the weapons.

First of all, I have a to-the-point assignment of 1's, 2's, 9's, and 10's:

1: This rating is reserved for weapons that are utter garbage. Even if this weapon was available for 1NP it would still be too awful to be used in a serious battle.

2: This rating is reserved for weapons that are obsolete due to an equivalent or better weapon existing in the same or a lower price range. An example of this would be 9 Pound Coconut being obsolete due to the cheaper and stronger Kelpbeards Trident.

9: This rating is assigned to highly recommended weaponry for the price range. Weapons rated a 9 are typically very popular among knowledgeable battlers for exceptional top of the line power-to-price ratios.

10: This rating is reserved for weapons that are the absolute best at what they do. Weapons rated a 10 will not have an upgrade for any price. For example, Sword of Reif is the absolute best Fire-based weapon. No weapon can deal more Fire icons than Sword of Reif.

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Now what about scores 3 through 8? Weapons that do not fall into any of the above categories are assigned a base score of 5, and are than subjected to three questions before receiving a final score ranging from 3 to 8:

Is the weapon HTS, ETS, or in between? Depending on the answer, subtract a point, add a point, or no change.

Is the weapon easy to counter, hard to counter, or in between? Depending on the answer, subtract a point, add a point, or no change.

Is the weapon widely useable, or situational? Depending on the answer, add a point or no change.

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My actual reviews are more important than the numerical rating, but here are some quick assumptions from the numerical rating.

1-2: These weapons should never be used.

3-4: These weapons are not quite as bad as a 1 or a 2, but possess qualities that seriously deteriorate their usability.

5: These weapons should generally not be used, but creative battlers may occasionally find a use for them.